Mac Sees
macsees.bsky.social
Mac Sees
@macsees.bsky.social
Retired sysadmin watching global democracy, climate, immigration, healthcare, social safety nets and justice, journalism, disinformation, defense, privacy & cybersecurity from an east coast US & Canada perspective.
Reposted by Mac Sees
Read this well written Atlantic article on the topic

Every Scientific Empire Comes to an End - The Atlantic
archive.is/2025.07.31-1...
archive.is
August 2, 2025 at 12:12 PM
The accelerated drying of continents, combined with the flooding of coastal cities and food-producing lowlands, heralds potentially staggering and cascading risks for global order, the researchers warn. Points to widespread famine, migration of large numbers of people, and geopolitical disorder.
The continents are rapidly drying out and the earth’s vast freshwater resources are under threat, according to a recently released study based on 20+ years of NASA satellite data.

Here are the report’s key findings and what they portend for humankind.
8 Things to Know About New Research on Earth’s Rapid Drying and the Loss of Its Groundwater
Decades of NASA satellite data reveal how quickly the planet’s underground stores of fresh water have been depleted and how their use is contributing to rising sea levels. Here are the key takeaways.
www.propublica.org
August 3, 2025 at 4:44 PM
This clear-eyed status assessment of the US has stayed with me for several days. We're in the "second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be,” as Roberts of the Heritage Foundation said last year. open.substack.com/pub/heatherc... TY, @hcrichardson.bsky.social
July 30, 2025
On July 2, 2024, just about a year ago, president of the right-wing Heritage Foundation Kevin Roberts told the listeners of Steve Bannon’s War Room webcast: “[W]e are going to win.
open.substack.com
August 2, 2025 at 5:08 PM
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July 27, 2025 at 4:59 PM
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a super unnerving thing is installing a carbon dioxide detector in your house, opening all the windows and it's *still* above 420ppm because that's just life on planet earth now
July 27, 2025 at 6:51 PM
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July 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
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With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.
July 27, 2025 at 9:01 PM
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Some good tips for reducing your microplastic exposure
wapo.st/4o35OId
Guest column | I’m a microplastics researcher. Here’s how I limit the plastic in my life.
Microplastics are everywhere. But there are simple ways to lower your exposure.
wapo.st
July 27, 2025 at 10:36 PM
The man. The legend. I’ve listened to him for years, with great admiration. In a week of many musical legends passing, this is one too many. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/a...
Tom Lehrer, Musical Satirist With a Dark Streak, Dies at 97
www.nytimes.com
July 28, 2025 at 12:54 AM
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He was the last SS guard, about to be tried when he died at 100. Let this warn the ICE agents who think they are only guards, following orders. Your masked crimes against humans and humanity will mark you to the end of your days.
The Last SS Guard @zeit.de
www.zeit.de/gesellschaft...
Concentration Camp Duty: The Last SS Guard
Gregor Formanke stood guard in Sachsenhausen. Jerzy Zawadzki was nine years old, and a prisoner. When Formanek is indicted at age 99, their lives intersect once more.
www.zeit.de
July 20, 2025 at 6:55 PM
I keep coming back to this one. Inspiration: John Lewis. Thank you to all who protested this week.
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
July 17, 2025
Five years ago tonight, Georgia Representative John Lewis passed away from pancreatic cancer at the age of 80.
open.substack.com
July 20, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Today's recommended reading open.substack.com/pub/canresis...
Mental Health Survival Guide for the Trumpocalypse
10 Ways to Protect Your Well-Being While America Loses its Mind
open.substack.com
July 17, 2025 at 5:13 PM
A chilling and thoughtful analysis by @megankstack.bsky.social quoted here. Recommended.
"The government’s enthusiasm for this emerging technology is disquieting. A.I. could help to supersize the surveillance state, offering the potential to quickly synthesize and draw inferences from massive quantities of data."
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/23/o...
Opinion | Can We See Our Future in China’s Cameras?
www.nytimes.com
July 10, 2025 at 12:54 PM
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Post-BBB newsletter on what's coming for us next and what we can do. substack.com/home/post/p-...
What to do about America’s super charged secret police
The full, devastating impact of Trump’s Big Bullshit Bill ("BBB") will not be felt for years, but some of the impact will be felt very soon.
substack.com
July 8, 2025 at 2:34 AM
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Open Democracy is having a March on Sunday July 6th in Portsmouth! #OpenDemocracyNH #nhpolitics
June 27, 2025 at 2:01 PM
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“The majority of workers here are longtime residents who for some reason or another don’t have legal status,” Ms. Rodriguez said. “And now, they are terrified to go to work. The fields are nearly empty.”
Trump causes economic chaos in Texas. Gift article: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/u...
On a Quiet Southern Border, Empty Farms and Frightened Workers
www.nytimes.com
June 27, 2025 at 11:38 AM
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The first ACIP meeting with RFK Jr.'s handpicked members wrapped up today, and my head is still spinning. There’s a lot to unpack, but here’s what I need to highlight now: more than 50 falsehoods—ranging from basic immunology errors to conspiracy theories—were stated during this meeting.
June 26, 2025 at 10:36 PM
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Bill Moyers was one of the greatest humans i ever knew. The world is a far better place for hin having been in it
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/b...
Bill Moyers, Presidential Aide and Veteran of Public TV, Dies at 91
www.nytimes.com
June 26, 2025 at 8:45 PM
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A foundation model of 10 million ECGs shows how much is encoded in these recordings that cardiologists would not be able to detect
ai.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/...
An Electrocardiogram Foundation Model Built on over 10 Million Recordings
Artificial intelligence (AI) has demonstrated significant potential in electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis and cardiovascular disease assessment. Recently, foundation models have played a remarkable r...
ai.nejm.org
June 26, 2025 at 3:00 PM
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Coal pollution has poisoned the Diné and other Tribal communities for decades. Now the Trump administration and their allies in Congress are pushing a bill that expands mining and short-circuits environmental reviews. This must be stopped.
Coal mining made my Navajo community sick for decades. Reviving it hurts us all | Opinion
Coal continues to destroy the Navajo Nation's health, land, air and water. The last thing we need is for Trump to revive the industry.
www.usatoday.com
June 26, 2025 at 3:12 PM
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Did you know EFF's work is funded mostly by individuals? That's people like you, giving small donations to support big change. We're fighting for your rights online:
35 Years for Privacy, Free Speech, and a Brighter Future
Through July 10, new monthly or annual Sustaining Donors get an EFF35 Challenge Coin! With your help, EFF is here to stay.
eff.org
June 23, 2025 at 5:17 PM
The remaining awards are designed to address acute disease, hunger and other emergencies, and not areas like education, governance or jobs that are supposed to help countries avoid crises in the first place.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
What Remains of U.S.A.I.D. After DOGE’s Budget Cuts? (Gift Article)
The few hundred programs that survived DOGE’s purge reveal the future of foreign aid.
www.nytimes.com
June 22, 2025 at 4:46 PM
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An angry Japan cancels 2+2 talks with the US after the Trump administration abruptly tells Tokyo to spend more on defense, according to an FT report. www.ft.com/content/53f6...
Japan scraps US meeting after Washington demands more defence spending
Allies’ top defence and foreign policy officials were due to hold talks on July 1
www.ft.com
June 20, 2025 at 11:17 PM
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A must must-read by @billmckibben.bsky.social on the interlocking nature of the science, economics, & politics of our climate crisis, where we really are today, and why its the biggest story on planet earth, esp if you like breakfast (and thus the folly of America) open.substack.com/pub/billmcki...
So many moving pieces
Trying to understand the planet and its politics on the longest day
open.substack.com
June 20, 2025 at 11:48 AM